How Severus Spends His Summer Hols

DISCLAIMER: JKR owns everything that is in reference to the Harry Potter world if it is in one of my works of fiction. If it is not found in one of her creations, then it is mine unless otherwise stated. I am not making any profit from the writing of this story.

A/N~ This chapter like the last one was created with loads of help from unbroken_halo. She gets credit with helping me put this together; she is also half of the writing team at Stirs of Echo.
As you all know, I give warnings when needed and well I’m giving one. There is self harm in this chapter.
I am so happy that you all liked the last chapter, it just felt right to broaden your view of the characters. To those of you who made requests of things to see done at Stirs of Echo, we have a list and we are working through it, so ask and we will endeavour to give.

Damon sat down on the couch and turned on the television. Grant and Sev had gone to look for a car for Harry and he had been designated sub-sitter while Harry slept. He had hoped that the Malfoy’s would be around but it appeared that Draco was once again in the company of Ms. Velden. He shook his head. That was a sight to see the austere British young man and the New York City wise ass sitting close together. He wondered if there would be another British invasion in the near future.

The blonde man flipped through the channels, keeping the sound low so as to not wake Harry. Merlin knew the boy was scared to death of him and god forbid the younger man should wake up and find himself alone with the Dom.

Harry stretched in the big bed and slowly opened his eyes. He rubbed his face and listened for the sounds of his husband in the big house. He could hear the low sounds of the telly, but it sounded like a car race, something Severus would definitely not be watching. He sat up in the bed and looked around again and noticed Severus’ wallet was gone from the top of the dresser. Okay, if Severus wasn’t here, who was in their house?

Harry slid out of the bed and quietly slipped out of the bedroom and peeked around the doorway and into the living room. He sucked his breath in and closed his eyes. Damon Wolffe was sitting on their sofa. He was in the house by himself with his father-in-law. Trying not to make a sound, he turned to go hide back in his room, but bumped into the box of glass phials Severus had set there in the hallway the day before. There was no way he was getting away quietly, so he decided for quick. He sprinted for the door and dove under the blanket.

Damon looked up at the sound of tinkling glass and watched as Harry’s backside zoomed around the corner. The older man chuckled and then stood. He walked over to the box and checked the contents making sure nothing had gotten broken and then headed for the master bedroom.

There under the covers was a lump in the middle of the bed. “Harry? Are you alright?” Damon inched into the room and waited for what he knew was going to be a muffled response. Poor baby was scared to death of him and Damon decided to have a little fun. “Come out and let me check you over to make certain. I heard you run into the box of vials.”

The lump on the bed shifted and a moment later a foot was thrust out. The nail on the big toe was torn and bleeding. “It hurts,” was the very quiet response.

Damon hissed. “Damn, that looks like it hurts.” He went through the room to the adjoining bath and dug in the medicine cabinet. He came back with a pain relieving potion, a warm wet wash cloth and a bottle of peroxide. “He sat on the edge of the bed and gently grasped Harry’s ankle.

He pulled on the boy’s leg and unearthed the lower Half of his body. “Come on now, sit up and turn over. Let me get a good look at it.”

Harry sat up and pushed the blanket away and watched as the older man looked his foot over. “I’ll be okay, you don’t have to bother with it,” he said as he tried to pull his foot back. “Where did Severus go?” He looked at the small clock on the table at the side of the bed and realized he’d been asleep for the past three hours.

He winced as Damon cautiously daubed the blood from his toe. Biting his lip, he tried to not make a peep. He’d never admit it to Severus, but his father-in-law scared the hell out of him and he didn’t know why. He’d done his best to avoid one on one situations with the man and now, bugger all, he didn’t have a choice. As Damon put his foot back down on the bed, he ventured enough to offer. “Would you like something to eat or some coffee….Sir?”

Damon looked up at Harry and grinned. “Grant and Sev went to get you a car. Until you have a way out of here if something were to happen you get me as a substitute.”

“You just sit and relax a bit. I know my way around a kitchen just fine.”

At Harry’s distressed look Damon grinned even wider. “Grant left us some food in the microwave. That is one appliance I have no trouble operating.” He patted Harry’s other leg. “Grant made you some cookies too.”

“A car? But I don’t know how to drive,” he murmured as he let the words sink in. “Besides, I’ll be too big to drive soon, it‘s a waste of money.” Harry sat back against the headboard and muttered to himself about husband’s that didn’t listen to reason.

The younger wizard watched the older one for a moment longer before he opened his mouth again. “Did Sev tell you that I felt the baby move?”

Damon shook his head. “There are driving schools in Wheeling. Allie learned and you need to as well. The steering wheel can be moved up out of the way of your belly.” The Dom grinned at the boy and raised his hand. “Can I?” He pointed to Harry’s little bump in his tummy.

Harry bit his lower lip and slowly raised his tee shirt. “I don’t know if you’ll be able to feel her or not, but okay…” the younger wizard thought for a moment and then spoke again. “Isn’t Wheeling too far too drive with Sev trying to get his shop opened up and winter coming. You do have winter here, right?”

When Damon did nothing for a moment, Harry shifted his position and was horrified as a belch worked its way up and out. His face turned beet red as he stammered apologies to the laughing Dom.

Damon took a deep breath and placed his hand on Harry’s warm skin. He knew there would be nothing to feel but it was nice to just think about the life underneath the tight stomach. His grandbaby, of sorts. He smiled at Harry. “Better out than in, Harry. Sometimes those things happen.” He left his hand on Harry’s belly and smirked. “Yes we have winter, snow and all sometimes. Would you like a white Christmas?”

Damon rubbed Harry’s stomach in small circles. “She’s going to be a mess. Have you and Severus decided on names, yet?”

Harry shook his head. “No, we’ve got a list, but we keep changing it.” He began to relax a bit and leaned heavily back into the pillows. “You know, ever since I was at Hogwarts, I’ve had a white Christmas, I don’t know if I’d like one that isn’t.”

He was quiet for a moment and then looked at the older Dom. “Sir, why did Severus ask you to stay with me? He normally leaves me alone, he knows I’ll be okay.”

“Do you actually think Grant would have allowed him to do so?” Damon moved his hand off Harry’s bump. “Even though you aren’t too far along, your sense of balance will be shifting and it’s not good to be alone while you are adjusting to it.” Damon chuckled. “Grant was clumsy as hell when he was pregnant.” He smiled wistfully and nodded to Harry. “My Grant’s worried about you is all.”

Harry looked at him for a moment. “So does this mean you are going to be my new minder while Severus is gone through the day?” he asked as he raised a brow in an uncanny imitation of his husband.

Damon looked stricken for a moment then recovered quickly. That thought had never even entered his mind. He looked back at Harry. “Did you want me to be your minder?” Then the older man smirked at Harry. “I taught your old man that look so don’t be giving it back to me.” He grinned at the boy to take the sting away.

Harry was quiet and focused on the comforter before he spoke. “I know you and Grant think I’m crazy. I overheard you talking the night we did the dreamwalk,” the young man said as he picked at the bed covers. The conversation he’d overheard had been weighing heavily on his mind since that night and he was afraid it was going to affect how he related to Severus’ family. “I’m messed up, I know that, but I’m getting better. It was worse when we were in South Dakota because of everything going on.”

He paused for a moment and took a drink from the bottle of water he kept on the nightstand by his side of the bed. “While I was teaching I did alright, I didn’t have many episodes as Severus calls them. I don’t know exactly what set me off out there, but I know that for the most part I feel safer here. I know I’m okay.” He raised his eyes to look at where Damon was sitting. “You don’t need to sit with me everyday, I’m not going to do anything to harm myself or Severus’ child.” There, he’d done it. He’d said what had been on his mind for awhile now and was ready for the consequences.

Damon frowned. “Grant and I don’t think you’re crazy, Harry. I think you came in on the middle of the conversation.” Damon reached out and pulled Harry towards him some. “Come here, Boy. I want to tell you something.”

The Dom settled Harry on his lap and held him close. He could feel the boy shaking and began to rub on the man’s back “You have been very good for Severus. Not many people could put up with his cranky ass.”

Damon smiled. “You were done a wrong turn Harry. No one’s blaming you for that. I fact I think all in all the fact that you have recovered to this level is amazing.” He thought for a moment. “It’s not my place to judge you, Harry. There are things in my past as well that I am not proud of. That doesn’t mean that we think you are unworthy or anything else for that matter.”

He sighed. “I guess what I am trying to say is your episodes were understandable. Change is not always easy.” He grinned. “And meeting Grant’s mother, well, she scared the hell out of me too, the first time I saw her.” He began to rock Harry as he continued to rub on the younger man’s back. “You ever seen a mad Injun Harry?”

Harry nodded. “Yes Sir, the other day when Grant was mad at you for something. It isn’t pretty.” He relaxed and let himself be soothed. “I was afraid you didn’t like me because I am crazy,” he said softly.

Damon chuckled. “Grant’s a pussy compared to Rachel Rainwalker. And you are right it ain’t pretty.” He snorted.

“Harry, we have never disliked you. Sev is crazy about you. The summer before all he could do was talk about you.” He grinned at the young man. “I never wanted to slap him more in all my life. He sounded like a love sick puppy and by gods it was irritating after a while. Hell, he wasn’t that annoying the first time I met him and took a bullwhip to his ass.”

Damon chuckled. “You want to hear tales’ about Severus. I can right embarrass him for ya. Just like any other parent.”

Harry thought for a moment and then grinned. “Just how bad were Max and Severus together? I hear them joking, but I don’t know what’s the truth and what’s made up. Did they really get arrested for stealing a portable loo?”

Damon laughed heartily. “Yes, the damned fools. They decided in a fit of drunkenness one night that it was too far to walk to the damn thing. I had already caught them hanging it out in the breeze trying to make it into the hole.”
Damon rubbed his face. “Grant nearly shit a gold brick when he went out here and they were comparing, if you catch my drift and had marked lines in the damn dirt to see how far they could aim.”

He shook his head. “Next thing I heard was sirens and this godawful racket. They had turned the damn thing over and were dragging it across the fucking campgrounds. Then Max fell into the hole they had dug out and Severus went down on top of him and the port-a-can went tumbling. The stench was horrible and there was a trail of shit a leading from the toppled outhouse all the way back to the line of the damn thing. And then you know what them assholes tried to do. They climbed out of that goddamned hole and went for another one cause that one was filthy.”

Harry sat in stunned disbelief. Damon could not be talking about the man who had taught him at Hogwarts. The man that was the epitome of prudishness, he blinked his eyes and opened his mouth. “I married a bloody moron. And he had the bollocks to call me childish.” Harry snorted and shook his head. “Do I want to know about the inflatable sheep?”

Damon frowned a minute. “I don’t remember a sheep there was however a elk. Did you know that in South Dakota that elk aren’t native to the region? However there was a rash of sightings and they went looking for this damn thing. They thought they were ten foot tall and bulletproof. ”

Damon shook his head. “A private rancher had one imported and was trying to raise a herd. Them assholes lured that damn thing off the ranch and then tied beer cans to it’s antlers.” He paused. “After they had gotten the damn thing drunk on the freaking hops. That damn elk woke up and rampaged around the fucking camp until the rangers had to be called out and the tranquilized it because elk spook real easy like when you mess with their heads.”

Damon growled. “We had to replace thirteen tents that year.”

Harry looked at Damon. “Why didn’t someone tell me I was marrying an idiot?” he laughed and then wriggled off of the other man’s lap. “To be honest though, he does deserve the right to have fun, he certainly didn’t have any while he was teaching.” He stood up and stretched and gingerly took a step on his foot. “If you are hungry, I’ll fix you a plate since I am going to find something to eat.”

Damon nodded and stood as well. “Careful now.” He held out his arm to steady the younger man. “Grant will kick my ass if I were to let you fall. You were right as well about Severus needing time to cut loose.” He smirked at Harry. “I seem to remember hearing tales of a certain young man who decided that rules were also under his station.”

He watched as a tell tale blush crept across Harry’s face. “I think eating is a good idea.

“Well you know the Weasley twins did give him quite a bit of trouble. I don’t recall ever being a problem myself,” Harry laughed as he took down a couple of plates. “I do like the Severus that is here, it makes me realize even more everything he went through while the war was going on. There are too many people even now that don’t give him the respect he deserves for what he’s done; they just want to focus on the mistake he made.”

He heated their food and served the older man at the small kitchen table before he sat down to start eating the casserole that had been left.

Damon grunted. “Not all the mistakes Sev made were of his own doing. Dumbledore and that sad sack of semen that passes for a man had a lot to do with it.” He poked his fork at a piece of chicken and then lifted the bite to his mouth. “Snape senior has a lot to answer for one of these days.” He growled.

Harry looked up at the words and frowned. “What do you mean? I’ve never met Severus’ father, anytime he’s had to see him for something, he’s refused to allow me to go with him.” He picked through the vegetables and sauce before speaking again. “Do you know his father? Do you know what he’s like?”

Damon frowned. “All I know is that Orion Snape is a sorry bastard and I’ll not say anymore on the man. If Sev wants you to know then he will tell you more. I can’t tell you the things he’s not ready to share.”

Damon looked at Harry then and tilted his head. “There’s many a good reasons Sev doesn’t want you near his father. All of them valid and perfectly understandable.” He nodded to Harry. “I know of his deeds and how they shaped Severus and that’s more than I ever wanted to know about the son-of-a-bitch. If Severus ever returns one of his father’s summon then you will stay with Grant and I no questions asked. You understand me?”

Harry nodded, he wasn’t happy, but he wasn’t going to argue with the older man over this. He knew the few times he’d tried to talk to his husband about his father, Severus had become uncommunicative and silent for several hours and he’d never pressed the issue. “Yes Sir, I understand.”

The two ate their meal and then went to do separate things. Damon back to his television and Harry had decided to sort out some boxes in their closet that had yet to be unpacked. Once in the large walk-in closet, he turned on the light and pulled down the first box from the shelf; opening it to find sheaf after sheaf of research notes and formulas of Severus’ that would eventually go to his lab. The second box yielded linens that Grant had packed up for them. Harry removed them and placed them in the linen closet outside the bathroom.

The third box had been taped shut, but he could see one corner had been recently ripped up. Curious, he peeled the tape away and opened the flaps, finding what looked to be torture devices of a psychotic mental patient. Surely Severus never intended to use these things on him. He picked the box up and went to set it on the bed when he caught his foot on the edge of the rug and fell to the floor with a crash.

“Harry!” Damon bounded into the room and stared at the young man on the floor. “Are you all right? What happened?” He moved around and bent to help the boy up from the floor and saw the vampire glove they had taken away from Severus just a few weeks ago. “What the fuck?”

He looked around the room. Scattered across the room were various pain inducing and skin tearing implements; braided whip with glass pieces embedded in the tail. A small baton wrapped with barbed wire lay next to a box that had spilled out scalpels and little knives of various lengths.

“Goddamn it. I thought Grant had gotten rid of this shit.” Damon picked up Harry from the floor, closed the door on the mess and took him into the sitting room. He sat on the couch with Harry in his lap. “You okay? Tell me where it hurts?” He rubbed the boy’s back as he talked.

Harry looked at him confused. He’d only stumbled to the floor, not down the stairs. “I’m alright Damon, really, more embarrassed than anything for tripping like that,” he said with a laugh as he found himself on his father-in-law’s lap.

“So that is Grant’s stuff? How did it get here?” he asked as he started to stand up, he wanted to get everything picked up before the other men came back. He heard the snort from Damon and looked at the older man. “What?”

Damon made Harry stay in his lap. “You’ll stay here till I get you checked out and I’ll call Max, if necessary. Harry, landing on you stomach is not a good thing.” He ran a hand across Harry’s tummy and down his legs. Harry’s knees were scuffed from the carpet and Damon summoned the peroxide to clean them from the bathroom. “That’s stuff in there…” He shook his head. “I don’t know what the fuck Severus was thinking bringing that shit out here.” He muttered as he gently cleansed Harry’s knees. “Leave that stuff to me I’ll clean up the bedroom.” He looked at Harry.

“You need me to call Max? Are you certain that nothing hurts or anything?” Damon eyed Harry, worriedly.

“I’m sure Damon, thank you,” Harry said quietly as what the other man had said sank in. Those were his husband’s belongs. A terrible look of understanding came over his face as he remembered the spiky little bat and the knives that had littered the floor. He remembered too many things like that from when he had been with Morgan. The younger man looked down at the floor and swallowed hard. “I know why he has it Sir.”

Damon eyed Harry. “I don’t think so Harry but why don’t you tell me what you are thinking.” He placed his hand on Harry’s back and could feel the little sub’s heart racing through the thin back. He looked at the clock over the fireplace and wondered when Grant and Severus were returning.

The younger wizard started to speak, but was unable to find the words he needed to let Damon know that Severus was going to use him as Morgan had. He shook his head minutely and bit his lip, it was his Master’s business anyhow, how he was to be used. “I’m sure you are right Damon,” he said as he struggled against the older man’s hands and got to his feet. “I’m rather tired, I’d like to lie back down please.” Harry walked back to his bedroom leaving a speechless Dom as he shut the door behind him and warded it so that only his Master could open it.

The young man squatted down on the floor, tears rolling down his cheeks as he carefully picked each item up from the carpet and returned it to the box, leaving the opened box on the foot of the bed. He stripped his clothing off and sat down next to the box, reaching in to retrieve a thin wire harness and battery rig he’d placed in moment’s before. Harry sat looking at it for a moment, before he wound the bare wires around his small cock and bollocks, and then took a shaky breath before hooking the wires into the battery contacts.

The world went white as his body bowed from the charges being delivered, his teeth clenched, lips drawn back in a scream as he fought to stay silent. It had been so long since he’d had to deal with something like this, he knew he needed to relearn before Master returned. Frantically he slapped at the battery until it came loose and he found himself laying, panting on the floor where he’d fallen. His eyes closed he waited for things to return to normal so he could look through the box again.

Damon started after Harry and touched the door knob. A shock came back to bite him on the hand. “God Dammit Harry open this fucking door now.” He raised his fist to pound on the door and the resulting backwash knocked him down the hall. “Fuck!”

Damon pulled his wand and began to try and take down the wards. After another shock that had his hair standing on end he cursed once more and summoned the phone. He punched in Severus’ cell number and began talking as soon as the velveteen voice came across the wires.

“Asshole, Harry found the Box. He’s done locked himself in the bedroom and warded it. I can’t get in. Tell me the Master lock code. Now! Before he does something harmful to him or the babe.”

“What do you mean he found the box?” Sev asked as he stopped walking and listened intently to the man on the other end of the line. “Where is Harry, now?” he held a finger up to Grant and motioned for him to get the truck, it sounded like he was needed at home for some reason. The reception cut out as he neared the big Dodge and he was unable to get another bar for reception.

Getting into the driver’s seat, he told Grant to hold on, that he wasn’t stopping until he got home.

Damon swore again when the phone went dead in his hand. “Harry, answer me, boy.” When no voice answered him, Damon threw the phone down the hall. He cursed and went after the thing. Punching in the numbers once again, he got a busy signal.

Growling he hung up the phone. “Harry, answer me.” Once again there was no sound from the bed room. “Fuck this.” Damon stormed out of the house and went around to the bedroom window. He gasped and looked to the ground. A large rock lay beside the corner of the house. “Sorry, Sev.” He slammed the rock through the window and removed the sheet of glass, tossing it to the ground, ignoring his own bloody knuckles. “Dammit Harry, I have to climb in this goddamn window and you are going to be sorry.” He hitched up his jeans and swung his leg up to the sill.

Damon crashed to the floor and went over to the boy on the floor. “Harry, baby what are you doing?” He whispered and pulled the phone from his belt dialing numbers as he went. “Max, Damon. Get to Sev’s now!” He hung up the phone and began disconnecting the wires from the battery, shocking himself in the process.

Pained green eyes opened to look at the older Dom and the boy whispered. “I was being sorry Sir.” His hands shook as he raised himself to the bed once more. “I can do better, I promise.” Harry rummaged in the box once more and pulled out the spiked baton, looking at it quizzically before setting it back. He wasn’t exactly certain where it went yet. Mumbling to himself, he tuned Damon out as he looked for something else to punish himself with.

Severus tore down the highway with Grant hanging on for dear life, taking the turn for his house without slowing down and barreling down the drive. He had barely shut the truck off before he was on the porch steps and busting through the front door. “Damon?!? Where are you? Where is Harry?” he yelled as he looked around the living room frantically.

“Sev!” Damon bellowed as he gathered up Harry into his arms. “In here!” He took the boy into the bathroom, making certain he had nothing in his hands. “Wards on door.”

Damon set Harry in the bathtub and looked over the young man’s body. Red lines ran up the length of his small prick and around the shaven sac. Damon hissed and knelt in the floor. “Fuck, Harry.” He carefully lifted Harry’s balls and looked on the underside and sure enough the lines were there too.

“Sev, hurry up I need a Burn Salve.” He checked Harry again to make certain once more that here was nothing hidden on the boy’s person and looked around the tub. He threw Sev’s razor across the room and the long handled back brush as well. “Cool water, cool water.” He mumbled and turned on the faucet. He hedged sideways to the sink, keeping one eye on Harry and one searching as he dug through the bottles on the shelf, knocking some into the sink as he went. “Sev!”

Severus came at a run, his wand drawn and he was chanting the wards as he went. He stopped just inside the bedroom door and saw it. His box. It was open and on the bed. “Merlin no,” he whispered as he felt a breeze and saw that the window had been busted. “Harry? Damon?”

In the bathroom, Harry looked at Damon with dead eyes as he waited to be used.

“Bathroom.” Damon shut off the water and dipped it over the young man’s groin. He looked up at the boy’s face. There was no one home and Damon had seen that look on some of the P.O.W.’s a long time ago. He shivered and continued to dip water over Harry and then he looked at him again. It hit him suddenly that Harry was marked up pretty bad on his penis. He turned to look at the boy again and noticed the fine white trails on Harry’s torso. “Holy shit.” He whispered, as more and more lines appeared before his eyes on Harry’s body. “Oh gods, Harry.”

Damon ran a hand through the fine hair on his head and bit his lip. “Wake, up baby come on wake up.” He lightly patted his cheek.

Max tore up the drive his long red hair flying in the after breeze. He saw the skid marks from the Dodge and pulled right up to the porch. He jumped of the bike and leaned it against the railing. “Sev? Damon?” He stomped up the front steps and barreled in the house.

Severus heard the voice in the bathroom and approached the open doorway in trepidation. What in the hell had Harry done? He looked in and found Damon kneeling next to their bathtub and Harry looking like he did during one of his spells. “Is he alright?” the lanky man asked softly as he approached the pair and laid a hand on Damon’s shoulder. “What did he get into?”

Grant met Max as the man barreled into the house and grabbed his arm. “I don’t know what it is yet, but it’s something to do with Harry. He was in the bedroom with the door warded shut, Severus just got in.” the Lakhota worriedly paced the floor as Max entered the bedroom and quickly found everyone in the bathroom.

Harry noticed Severus finally and gave him a shy smile. “I found what you want to use on me, Master. Shall I wait in the bedroom?”

Damon looked up at Sev. “I found him hooked up the battery. What in Merlin’s name possessed you to bring that shit to this house?”

Max entered the bedroom and stared at the three men. “What the hell is going on?”

Severus looked at Damon. “I..he was never supposed to find that,” he said softly as he moved to pick Harry up out of the tub. “Harry, you are to never, ever touch my things again. Never,” he muttered, hooking his hands under his husband’s arms.

The young man in the sub nodded and turned his empty gaze back to the other men. He still wasn’t sure what was going on, but he knew his Master was unhappy. “I understand.”

Damon smacked the back of Severus’ head. “What the fucks wrong with you? Telling him shit like that.” Damon ran a hand over Harry’s head. “You in there Harry?”

Max watched completely confused and then he noticed Damon’s was bleeding. “Old man, you’re first.” He grabbed the former Marine and hauled him from the room. He dragged Damon from the room and set him on the couch. “Now talk, tell me what happened?”

He pulled a black bag from his pocket and it resized when he set it on the low coffee table. He cleaned the man’s knuckles and then ran his wand across the cuts over Damon’s hand.

Grant sat down next to his husband and took his other hand in his, “What happened? You are as white as a sheet.” He was more than concerned about the older man; he knew very little could upset him like that. The older submissive looked up at Max. “Harry is okay, isn’t he?”

In the bathroom, Severus had pulled Harry out of the bathtub and was quickly drying him off as he looked him over for damage. He still couldn’t believe Harry had gotten into that box. So far all he’d found were the burn’s to the smaller man’s genitals, and although those were bad, he knew it could have been much, much worse. He scooped his Harry into his arms and carried him to their bed, carefully laying him down before sticking the box back in the closet. He’d have to put it in the cellar later on; he didn’t want to risk Harry finding it again.

Harry watched his husband and then turned to his side as he waited to see what would happen next, if anything would happen. One hand reached down to rub at his sore skin, then pulling away as he found pressure made it hurt worse. He’d file that information away as something to remember for the future.

Damon took a deep breath. “Harry hurt himself. I don’t know if he’s all right or not. “He flexed his hand and sent Max to the bedroom. Then he turned to Grant and pulled the younger man into his arms. He held tightly to the Indian and breathed in his familiar scent. “Gods Grant, it was horrible.” He rubbed his face against Grant’s chest and mumbled. “I haven’t seen anything like that since Korea.” He whispered.

Max knocked on the door and entered the room to find Harry on the bed. He set his bag on the night stand and carefully turned the other man over. “Okay Harry, I am going to take a look at you here, alright?” He looked around the room. “Sev?”

His best friend came out of the closet and sat down on the bed next to Harry. “Hey Max. He’s gotten into things he shouldn’t,” he said as he gently spread his husband’s legs so the healer could look. One hand played idly in Harry’s unruly hair while the other rested on the younger man’s thigh. “I don’t know what he was thinking…”

Grant rubbed his husband’s back and felt anger start to build up inside of himself. Severus had brought things into that house that could be potentially fatal in Harry’s hands. He knew that Damon had never seen how bad Severus had gotten, he’d always made sure the boy was cleaned up and on his way to healing before the old Dom would check in on him. “Harry will be fine, he’s a strong man. Severus needs his ass beat though,” he said softly as he rocked with the older man in his arms.

Harry lay quietly and didn’t move at all as Max’s large hands roamed over him, poking and prodding as they went. He looked up into Severus’ face and wondered what the fuss was about, he didn’t like seeing his husband upset. “Master?”

Severus looked down at Harry. “Master?” He ran his hand through Harry’s hair. “What were you doing in the closet, Harry?” He peered into the green eyes and saw that Harry still wasn’t fully there. “Answer me, little one.”

Max dug in his bag and pulled out a burn salve and began to apply it to Harry. The red lines softened and lessened their severity to a light pink. He looked over at Sev. “What’s going on?” He whispered.

Harry sat up and leaned against Severus. “I was cleaning the closet out and unpacking the boxes Sir. I was taking that one to the bed when I fell and everything spilled out,” he looked up into the dark eyes. “I thought you wished to use them on me. I knew I needed to retrain myself so I used the harness, that’s all.”

Max looked at his long time friend and shook his head. Plucking a bottle of a calming draught that was safe for the little pregnant wizard, he held it to Harry’s lips and tipped a measure into his mouth. “Swallow Harry and then lie down for me,” he said gently as he tucked the quilt from the foot of the bed around the young man. Harry nodded slowly as his eyelids began to flutter shut and he slumped against Severus.

“Sleep little one, I’ll be here to watch over you,” Severus murmured as he laid his husband back against the pillows and ran his hand gently over his forehead. He hung his head for a moment, feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders. His Harry could have hurt himself badly and it was his fault. Severus raised his eyes to his friend and gave him a sad smile. “I should go talk to Damon and Grant, I imagine I have some things to answer for.”

Max nodded and packed his bag up, giving the sleeping wizard one last check before he followed Severus out of the room and into the living room, where Damon and Grant were waiting for word on Harry.